Hanoi
The area around modern Hanoi has been inhabited since at least 3000 BC. One of the first known permanent settlements is the Co Loa citadel founded around 200 BC. Hanoi has had many names throughout history, all of them of Sino-Vietnamese origin. Hanoi was occupied by the French in 1873 and passed to them ten years later. It became the capital of French Indochina after 1887. The city was occupied by the Japanese in 1940, and liberated in 1945, when it became the seat of Vietnam's government. From 1946 to 1954, it was the scene of heavy fighting between the French and Viet Minh forces. At that point, the city became the capital of an independent North Vietnam. Hanoi became the capital of Vietnam when North and South Vietnam were reunited on July 2, 1976.
Hanoi has many scenic lakes and is sometimes called the"city of lakes". As the capital of Vietnam for almost a thousand years, Hanoi is considered to be the cultural centre of Vietnam, where every dynasty has left behind their imprint. Even though some relics have not survived through wars and time, the city still has many interesting cultural and historic monuments for visitors and residents alike.
Hanoi hosts more cultural sites than any city in Vietnam, including over 600 pagodas and temples Historians liken the life-giving Red River with its banks crowded with green rice paddies and farms to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; a cradle of civilization. Even when the nation's capital moved to Hue under the Nguyen dynasty in 1802, the city of Hanoi continued to flourish, especially after the French took control in 1887 and modeled the city's architecture to their tastes, lending an important aesthetic to the city's rich stylistic heritage. With its unique blend of cultures it offers a fascinating destination. Oriental lifestyles mix with French colonial architecture, tree-lined boulevards and peaceful lakes. Still retaining a charming air from its colonial days, visitors are often impressed with the quietness and subtle beauty of Hanoi.
The City experiences the typical climate of northern Vietnam, where summers are hot and humid, and winters are relatively cool and dry. The summer months from May to September receive the majority of rainfall in the year (1,682 mm average per year). The winter months from November to March are relatively dry, although spring often brings light rains. The minimum winter temperature in Hanoi can dip as low as 6-7°C not including the wind chill, while summer can get as hot as 38-40 .
